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Paige Sutherland

BOSTON | Rhode Island's Bryant University is asking students to resist the urge to take selfies with its president while receiving their diplomas.

University President Ronald Machtley says students ask him to take selfies on the Smithfield campus all the time. But he says having more than 800 students snap photos with him as they get their degrees will slow down the already hours-long ceremony.

MEDFORD, Mass. — A new program at Tufts University hopes to remove the financial barriers keeping cash-strapped students from taking a year off after high school to travel or volunteer, offering an opportunity now typically only available to more affluent students to explore different communities and challenge their comfort zones before starting college.

This "gap year" program launching this fall will pay for housing, airfare and even visa fees, which can often add up to $30,000 or more.